Home Builders Say Iowa’s Topsoil Regulations Are Costly

Builders in Iowa say that the current regulations for topsoil make building and affordable homes harder, and that it is costly and burdensome.

But the state is considering a rule change that would give developers more discretion in determining how much topsoil must be returned to new-home sites, the Des Moines Register reports.

However, environmentalists, homeowners, and other proponents of the existing law say families are struggling with lawns that have little or no topsoil, “making it difficult to grow grass, trees, flowers, and vegetables.